Speaking of flying...that's what kiddo wants to do. Fly. Who knows where this will go...he is only 15...but aviation is definitely his passion right now. His room is strewn with FAA directories, airplane models, and pilot handbooks. He's memorized the airline flight schedules and knows when the "heavies" are taking off and landing.
Given a choice, he'd be at the airport, plane spotting every day of the week. I must admit, it's pretty neat. Even though, most of my spotting is watching HIM watching the planes.
With that in mind, I made some pilot-themed cookies for his birthday celebration. I don't have much in the way of tutorials since I wanted them to be a surprise, but I'll walk you through making them.
To make the Jet Trail or Contrail cookies, you'll need:
- airplane image to trace
- waxed paper
- cut-out cookies, square, round or rectangle
- royal icing, tinted with AmeriColor Bright White and Sky Blue
- couplers and tips (#2, #1)
- disposable icing bags
- squeeze bottles
- toothpicks
- small paintbrush
Make the airplane transfers: (these can be made up to 1 month in advance and stored in an airtight container.) Place the airplane image on an upside-down cookie sheet. Cover with waxed paper, and tape the waxed paper down to hold it in place.
Use a #1 or #2 tip to trace the outline of the airplane onto the waxed paper with white icing.
(Make extras in case of breakage.)
Thin some of the white icing with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. (Reserve some of the white icing for piping details later.) You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.
Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed. Pour into a squeeze bottle. Fill in the outlines.
Let the transfers dry completely, 6-8 hours.
Outline the cookie in blue with a #2 tip. Thin the blue icing using the method described above. Fill in the outlines with the thinned icing.
Let the cookies dry uncovered, 6-8 hours, or overnight.
Carefully peel the transfers off of the waxed paper. Use a bit of piping consistency royal icing to adhere the airplanes onto the cookies.
Use a #1 tip to pipe small dots down from the wings.
(Um, that paintbrush has seen better days.)
Use a very slightly damp, small, flat paintbrush to drag the icing dots together making a "contrail."
(Since there are 4 engines on my airplane transfer, I originally intended for there to be 4 contrails, but they didn't look quite right on the cookies.)
For the pilot shirt cookies, you'll need:
- shirt cut-out cookies
- royal icing, tinted with AmeriColor Bright White, Super Black, and Egg Yellow
- couplers and tips (#2, #1)
- disposable icing bags
- squeeze bottles
- toothpicks
Use a #2 tip to outline the shirts with white icing.
Thin some of the white icing with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. (Reserve some of the white icing for piping details later.) You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.
Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed. Pour into a squeeze bottle. Fill in the outlines.
Let the icing dry for at least 1 hour.
Switch the tip on the white icing to a #1 tip, and pipe rectangles to make a collar.
Use a #2 tip to outline the tie and shoulder patches with black icing.
Add the pocket details in white.
Thin the black icing as described above; fill in the black outlines.
Let the cookies dry at least 1 hour.
Use a #1 tip to add the wings and stripes in yellow icing.
Let the cookies dry uncovered 6-8 hours, or overnight.
This is my favorite pic from his birthday celebration:
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this child? I mean, like, with every fiber of my being? Have I also mentioned how fortunate I feel that he has this great group of friends in his life? Whatever his future brings, pilot or not, I'm looking forward to seeing it. But, in the meantime, I wish time would slooooow doooooown just a bit.
Happy flying!
